Coronavirus news: Pubs could have to close to keep schools open in local lockdowns, as Sturgeon admits failings on exam grades
Follow the day’s events as they happened
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Pubs may be forced to close in areas under local coronavirus lockdowns so that schools can remain open, Downing Street has said.
Boris Johnson has said the UK has a moral responsibility to get children back into the classroom.
Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon has apologised to Scottish exam students who were marked down "because of an algorithm".
She said: "In a very difficult and unprecedented situation, we took decisions that we thought on balance were the right ones."
The number of NHS contact tracers are to be slashed by a third, while the rest are set to be redeployed locally.
Announcing the changes to the NHS Test and Trace programme, the Department for Health and Social Care said it would cut the number of national contact tracers by 6,000 by 24 August.
Pakistan loosens lockdown
People in Pakistan have flocked to gyms, salons and restaurants for the first time in five months.
Some lockdown restrictions were eased on Monday, allowing these businesses to reopen after being shut for months to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Pakistan has recorded more than 280,000 cases of Covid-19 and nearly 6,100 deaths, but has seen a slowing of numbers since June, when it recorded nearly 7,000 infections and 118 deaths in a single day.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Coronavirus cases among American children
The number of new Covid-19 cases among children in the US rose 40 per cent in the last two weeks of July, according to a report released just weeks before tens of millions of American students are scheduled to begin the new school year.
Donald Trump, the American president, has pushed states to allow students to physically return to classrooms, but health officials have expressed caution about doing so in areas where cases have been rising sharply.
The new report found that more than 338,000 children have tested positive for Covid-19 since the onset of the US epidemic, with 97,078 new cases reported in the period between 16 and 30 July.
Reuters
US-Canadian crossings
Canadian residents are vandalising cars with US license plates in an attempt to deter American tourists from visiting the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
James Crump reports:
Lockdown easing in Mexico's capital
The government of Mexico City will allow bars to operate as restaurants in order to reopen as part of an easing of the coronavirus lockdown.
While bars and nightclubs have been closed for four months, the city is now offering automatic approval if bar owners fill out an online application and agree to offer food and enforce sanitary and social distancing measures.
In exchange, they can open at 30 per cent capacity until 10pm.
Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said that was to avoid more job losses among bar employees.
Similar measures elsewhere have given rise to symbolic food orders — a handful of chips — for customers who really just want a beer or wine.
But Ms Sheinbaum was emphatic, saying: "I repeat, the bars are not opening."
Associate Press
Brazil's tally
Brazil registered 22,048 new cases of coronavirus and 703 deaths on on Monday, the health ministry said.
The country now has a total of has 3,057,470 confirmed cases, while the death toll has risen to 101,752.
Reuters
That is all from us for today. Check back tomorrow for more coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments